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Pella Cross Country Runners Share Thoughts on Success at State Meet

With the successes of the State Cross Country Meet still fresh in their minds, the members of the Pella High cross country teams have now been afforded the time to reflect and relive the excitement and celebration of the past weekend.

Alex Ropes, a senior on the boys’ State Championship team, says the celebration and welcoming reception that followed the team’s performance in Fort Dodge made for a truly special day.

“There was a great reception when we got back to Pella. The second we finished the race, the celebration began, and everyone was really happy. It wasn’t just celebrating our victory, it was celebrating the season as a whole and all of the people who got us to where we were,” said Ropes.

“Everything from there on was like icing on the cake. The fire truck escort was great, and all of the bonding that we had afterwards. Really it was just a great day as a whole.”

The Lady Dutch also enjoyed great success, finishing in third place out of a loaded Class 3A field. For junior Victoria Kleven, the success and excitement was something she’d experienced before, but something she said is hard to grow tired of.

“We had the same thing two years ago, my freshman year, and it doesn’t get old,” said Kleven. “It’s fun, no matter how many times we do it, and I hope next year we can have a similar end to our season.”

The Pella cross country teams assembled a remarkable season in 2011, winning the majority of the meets they competed in; including sweeps by both teams at the Little Hawkeye Conference and District/Regional meets.